Happenstance

An interesting question was asked of me today.  “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”  To the naked eye, this question is postured to be uplifting and motivational; it offers an ambitious lens to view this panorama we refer to as life.  As simple as it may be in stature, it really is a complex question.  The complexity of this query is masterfully hidden behind the mirrors of optimism and inspiration; further blurred by the smoke of yearn and chance.  We’re presented with these forms of questions because a curiosity exists.  Naturally, the answer to the question is expected to be met with great enthusiasm because an opportunity has been offered to share our ardent covets.  With so much prospect afoot, it seems ridiculous to imagine someone tackling this question with a crestfallen mindset. 

However, it happens.  And when it happens, it introduces a seismic arroyo between the expectations of the questions versus the retrograde and unorthodox pursuit of the answers.  A weathered mind could unintentionally invite the inquirer to look at the inverse of the question solely by describing the things they no longer want to do, or suffer from, anymore.  Is that so far-fetched?  Is it unreasonable to hypothesize that there could in fact be people who are tired of losing in their lives?  My heart bleeds for these people because they incessantly seek newer and stronger cornerstones of faith in order to hold everything together.  They hold life with a tighter grip and calculate each step of its journey with hopes that things will eventually pan out; yet, they rarely do.  Too proud, too tired, too fractured – these people are often left to blaze new trails fueled by hollow pipe dreams; often surrounded by fair-weather fans attempting to attach and commiserate along the way.  And it’s these same devotees that encourage the broken to speak their minds; they insist that speaking is on the path to healing and that healing is the solution to all of the issues.  Untrue – simply untrue. 

Healing is the end product; the path (the journey) is the answer.   More often than not, the fair-weathers are so consumed with dragging the crestfallen across the healing finish line that they lose sight of the fact that this is a process – not a solution.  Caveat emptor is Latin for “let the buyer beware.”  We need to understand that people who feel downtrodden, or are treated subserviently, don’t always have the opportunity to beware of their current disposition.  No one chooses to struggle over converting thoughts into words; people don’t aspire to be forgotten or marginalized by factors they have no control over.  Yes, hopeless optimists, I’m aware…sometimes life is unfair.  And you are right, the mindset chosen will aid the outcome desired.  Just respect the fact that sometimes people can’t listen to that shit; not because they don’t want to, but because they can’t afford to.

“We all matter - maybe less than a lot but always more than none.”

― John Green